


Mortality and What's Next

by littlesolo



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Touch (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-11-16
Updated: 2015-02-25
Packaged: 2018-02-25 13:17:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 6,973
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2623127
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littlesolo/pseuds/littlesolo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Maria should've died, two shots to the heart and one to the head. She should've been dead on arrival. But she isn't and that's when she knows they did something to her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

The one person who knew for certain that Maria wouldn’t want this, wasn’t told until things were irreversible. Phil had waited until the chemicals of a new formula, not the one he’d been given, had been in Maria’s system for five minutes already. They were Asgardian in origin.  

Then he called Natasha.  

He knew that Maria Hill was a valuable resource that the world needed to be able to keep on spinning. His team looked to him for leadership, but there were those even on his team that would take her orders over his even though he held the title of Director. It used to bother him, but now it doesn’t.  

Because when the world needs heroes, Maria’s always stepped up and led. She knew what needed to be done and would do it herself if need be, and people respected that especially from someone that was ordinary and not an Avenger. Except that she protected the Avengers when she had to and even when she didn’t have to. When she had no business doing so. That’s just who she was, and who they needed her to continue to be.  

Still, you could hear his left ribs break with Natasha’s first punch when Phil started to explain to her what he’d done. It had taken Lance, Trip, Melinda, and Mac to get her off him and hold her back, but it did nothing against Tony, Clint, Sharon, and Steve who were behind her. Bobbi Morse stood off to the side with Jemma, Fitz, and Skye. Bobbi believed Natasha had every right to go after him and kill him if it made her feel better. It depended on what Maria would have wanted. She had expected more of Phil, given what he’d gone through and how he’d wanted to die. 

Except he knew of Maria’s value to the world, to the universe, and her life couldn’t end now. Not with everything still in such chaos because to get through it they’d need a mind like hers. It was the only way they stood a chance. The only way the world wouldn’t somehow implode due to mass stupidity combined with egos and lusts for power.  

The two young scientists are beside themselves. It’s the first time they’ve been near each other without that awkward presence for quite some time. But now they share in the fact that Maria gave her life protecting them. Natasha having them checked over for any injury hadn’t helped. It had only made them both cry and this time harder than before, but they needed to know that all the blood wasn’t covering some injury of their own. It wasn’t. It was all Maria’s. Natasha had hugged them both and whispered that she was glad they were alright and that Maria would be too. They still haven’t stopped crying.

* * *

Maria awakens to see Natasha, whose red hair make her pale face look even more sickly. Her eyes are sunken from lack of sleep and there are red rims to them.  

She’s alive but she knows she shouldn’t be.  

"He did it before he told me you were even in trouble" whispers Natasha as she kisses her hand. Not Fury. It might have been the wrong call, but he would have told Natasha. That means Coulson and now she hates him more than ever for leaving Natasha out of the loop of what should have been her decisions since she couldn’t make them for herself.  

"Are they-?" starts Maria, her mouth dry and not feeling like her own. Natasha hands her a cup of ice chips and nods.  

"Leo and Jemma are fine." Maria relaxes a bit at this. At least she’d done that much right. She squeezes Natasha’s hand, knowing that Natasha wouldn’t have allowed this. As much as it would crush her and possibly destroy her, Natasha wouldn’t bring Maria back for her own selfish reasons. Even though not doing so might kill her. A knock at the door has Jane’s head popping around the door edge and she comes in and explains what she can about the Asgardian medicine that returned her. The bruise in the shape of fingers on Jane’s arm say she fought just as hard as Natasha to keep this from happening. Maria thanks her for her efforts. Jane explains that she’s always been in it for the science, not to go against someone’s wishes. Thor is Thor and will live thousands of years, but Maria Hill is a person who had made her wishes known and had them ignored.  

Phil steps into the now open doorway and Maria reaches over to one of the beeping machines and flings it at him.  

With more force than she’d intended.

Or known she was capable of.  

The machine shatters against the wall in the hallway, Phil having ducked out of the way.  

It would seem the effects of the alien medicine were already beginning to emerge.


	2. Chapter 2

Some part of her knows that not even with Tony’s suit, could she have been there in time, but it still nearly stops her heart. She also knows that Maria would have had it no other way. If she had to die, she’d like to know that doing so saved the lives of the young scientists.  

Mortality is an odd concept to Natasha. Red Room took her and began with her training around the time that Steve was fighting Hitler. She’s as old as he is but her altered genetics account for her agelessness.  

Maria knows and doesn’t care, but right now all Natasha can think is how that she’d trade all her lifetimes if it meant Maria would stay with her. Natasha had been used mostly during the Cold War and she had done a stint in Lubyanka Prison. She’d go back willingly if it meant she could alter the moments when the bullets were flying towards Maria and either pull her from their path or change their trajectory.  

Maria had died and there had been nothing she could do. There had been nothing she could do anyway but that opportunity to do anything had been taken from her by Phil Coulson. Not only had he robbed her of that but he had also been the one to save her and that didn’t sit right with her. Not when his saving her went against everything Maria had specifically put down that she wanted. 

There was no way to fix it, any of it. She could vow to protect Maria, but it would be no different from what she had been doing before, making them useless words. So she’d done the next best thing. She reached out to Jane. Jane wasn’t an MD but she was a PhD three times over and had been to Asgard herself, not to mention the lead expert when it came to these things.  What Maria would need now was all the information possible on the subject and Natasha could have that ready.  

It turned out that by chance Jane was already there.  She had been there with Darcy doing research but when she saw Phil Coulson running by their lab with what Sif had called a powerful healer, Jane had taken off after him.  Lance was the unfortunate soul to learn that Natasha had long ago taught her how to throw a punch and she hit him square in the jaw when he got in her way.  Mac's grip on her forearm was unnecessarily rough but she fought to get at Coulson anyway.  Seeing as how she wasn't going anywhere she cut her eyes over to Melinda.  

"Maria wouldn't want this!"  

"You know that do you?" asked Mac, so she elbowed him in the gut.  It felt like a brick wall, but it made him let go.  

"Yes, and so does Natasha.  Since I'm betting Coulson didn't tell her, Darcy already was talking to her when I left the lab" answers Jane.  "She wouldn't want this."  

Melinda nods and goes after Phil.  

But Phil had seen Jane too and increased his pace.  The world still needed Maria.  

That had been hours ago, almost a whole day.  

Now Maria was just trying to take in that she had died and that despite his being told by multiple sources, Phil had brought her back.  Over the next few hours though, she listened to Jane explain what she knew and that she had made contact with Lady Sif, who would be coming to see them with more.  The whole visit lasted no more than forty minutes and then Maria was out again.  Natasha combed her hair from her brow as Jane set up her chair so that she could stretch out between them.  


	3. Chapter 3

There was shouting.

You could hear it all the way down the corridor.

Both Maria's and Phil's voices. Darcy had taken Natasha out for coffee, but Jane, Sharon, and Bruce were in the wing's waiting area.  

"The world still needs you Maria!" came Phil's voice. That point couldn't be argued. Phil was still learning what it was to be director and the cost of secrets and lies to his team. But until he came out of the shadows, Maria did her best to pick up Phil's slack. And although he hadn't said it, he appreciated it.  

"I've given my life to SHIELD-"  

"So have I!"  

" _You don't get to speak right now!_ I've given my life to SHIELD and it helped me out of what I thought my life was going to be! Peggy Carter happened to spot me and then teach me how to dance and how to fight. Then I joined the military only to get myself nearly blown up with the rest of my team, but SHIELD was watching me then too. Then I was at the academy with Sharon, Melinda, and you. Since then I've gone through the ranks and became the Assistant Director of the Organization and helped deal with every crisis that came across our notice.  

I earned my right to die like anyone else, not have you take that from me! What if you've taken that from me forever? If I can't bring this order to the world that you seem to think I can, what then? Do you just say 'whoops?' and I get to live to see the world crumble entirely?

We've got Gorbachev saying that the world is on the brink of a new cold war! SHIELD doesn't exist and the ones that are still loyal are being hunted! If another cold war does happen, you can bet they'll come for Natasha and they'll come for Barnes too! Nick has the Avengers and no one gave you the authority to turn me into one!" growled Maria. Her voice was nearly hoarse. 

"We've all given something to SHIELD, no one knows that better than me-"  

" _No one else decided to loose their mind and keep it secret either!_ You were in command of a team, some of them barley adults! Yet you're hiding the fact that you were compromised!"  

Melinda moves to go intervene but Sharon blocks her and makes it clear that there won't be any disturbing this conversation.  

"I also had a traitor on my team! _One you vetted!_ " yelled back Phil. It was a low blow and even Melinda turned away at that one.  

"You had no problem with him and also the fact that Garrett vouched for him. And I'm sorry if I didn't jump to your aid when you called once his true colors were shown but I had a Helicarrier crashing into the building I was in! You lost your life to Loki, but since then you've discovered that not even you wanted to live after what was done to you.

And knowing that you still took that choice from Natasha. You didn't let her know until it couldn't be undone. I have heard it from Jane, Sharon, and Melinda and I looked at the medical files to find out exactly when things were done. You not only betrayed me Phil, you betrayed my family."  

"An unforgivable offense" interjects Lady Sif from the doorway, where she stands with Natasha and Jane.


	4. Chapter 4

Loading themselves into Jane's car and Natasha's car, Sif, Darcy, Jane, and Maria in one and Natasha and Bruce in the other along with Trip, went for a drive to a more secluded area for their discussion. Maria was still fuming at Coulson but it was replaced for a moment when Darcy started singing Thrift Shop at the top of her lungs followed by Gangster's Paradise. Jane seemed to be used to it, and nothing ever really seemed to phase Darcy anymore, but the absolutely puzzled faces of both Sif and Maria were priceless. So priceless, that Darcy took a picture.  

Getting out at a car salvage yard, Maria remembered why they were there and slammed her door angrily.  

Only to have all of the windows in Darcy's little hatch back shatter since the force of the door had nearly caused it to tip over.  Jane remembered something similar almost happening with Thor when  he closed the car door.  

" _YES!_ Now I can get tinted windows!" cries Darcy.

"It will cut down on the number of near accidents if the other drivers can't read your lips or see the gestures you're making" comments Jane. Maria feels awful but is frustrated more than anything else.  

"You are already proficient at many types of control, but your powers will be linked to your emotions now" explains Lady Sif.  

 _Fantastic_.  

"In certain actions or thoughts or everything?" asks Maria, collapsing to the ground and sitting on her hands. She'd rather be safe than sorry.  

"In what terms?" asks Sif, leaning against someone's totaled Scion.

"My anger is at Phil, but will I have to worry about hugging Natasha too tightly and breaking her ribs?" asks Maria with a sigh. Their relationship was common knowledge to most, but the small grin on Trip's face had Natasha betting he'd be collecting on a wager from Lance and Mac. "No. But to be safe, sparring regularly to release that energy would be wise" explains Sif. Bruce takes the opportunity to volunteer to be a sparring partner and that Steve has offered as well as Wanda. Sif also offers, but that went without saying since it was why they were here in the first place.  

"There are additional aspects as well. It was a healing formula that on Asgardians usually runs it's course, but on beings such as yourselves it will continue to keep you from harm" continues Sif.  

"So her lifetime will extend to be as long as yours" asks Natasha neutrally, but she doesn't miss the pained look on Maria's face.  

"Yes, and to her mate as well, that bond being a source of strength that the formula draws on in addition to a warrior's emotions. It's how it is able to heal so quickly, drawing from the warrior's determination to fight and will to return to those they hold dear. Nothing is more motivating" says Sif with all the certainty of her experience. "And you possess this."  

"You sound awfully sure of that" says Maria, already feeling a headache forming between her eyes.  

"You were willing to sacrifice your life for the lives of two others and did so without hesitation. It is an example of both qualities" affirms Sif with a nod. Maria sighed and got up to spar. She was tired, but her body was still humming with anger from her discussion with Phil.  

The others either wandered off or went for better cover. Jane and Darcy went scavenging since Jane was once again making most of her equipment herself. Bruce, Natasha, and Trip however, watched the match with an evaluating gaze. Natasha knew that Trip would be reporting back to Coulson, but he hadn't liked the Director's actions any more than Bobbi had. Maria was one of the few who knew of his connection to the Commandos, but she treated him no differently.  

In fact, she set it up that so that he could spar and learn from Sharon, another legacy. They both had a lot to live up to according to some, but Maria had helped him see that he only had to push himself as far as he felt necessary. That it didn't matter that Garrett always marked him one of the best yet still adequate in other fields, she'd seen his performance and saw he was doing well. Garrett's pushes for 'better' would have gotten him killed and after his HYDRA allegiance was revealed, Trip couldn't help but wonder if that had been his plan or if he'd just wanted a better soldier. But Maria had gotten him to see past everyone else's expectations and set ones of his own.  

One of the most rewarding moments was the first time Sharon took him with her to visit her Aunt Peggy and introduced him. Peggy Carter said she was pleased to see such a fine agent. He'd told her that he didn't know about all that, his doubts brought on by Garrett still bothering him, but she told him that she was. That is wasn't his bloodline, it was his dedication. Sharon had told her that he sparred with her regularly, and he must be good since Sharon kept him as a partner. She should know, she'd taught Sharon when she was still very young. The bonus was seeing Agent 13 blush.  

* * *

"So? Is she compromised?" asked Coulson in front of May and the others. Trip frowned, he figured Melinda would be in the room but Maria still deserved her privacy.  

"She's always been good at control. I don't know if May has her doing zen or Jemma has her drinking tea, but that's not how her strength will work anyway. The only person in danger of accidental harm, is you. Heads up, she kicked that RV out of her way like it was six pack of soda" reported Trip before leaving. Melinda didn't try to hide her smirk but Phil collapsed into his chair.

This wasn't going to be simple.

* * *

Everything went back to normal for the most part. Things were adapted for Maria and she sparred with Steve for the most part, but everything was going fine.  Natasha had even found ways to take advantage of  Maria's new abilities in the bedroom.  Over all, thing were going well, aside from the usual chaos involving HYDRA and others.  

Until Maria was leaving the courthouse with a young girl they had helped named Amelia Robbins. The HYDRA attack came out of no where and when one of their test subjects threw a car towards the girl, Maria used her body to shield her and her arm to knock the car away. The car crashed into the side of a brick building and hissed as it settled.  

That was how Maria Hill found herself tasered unconscious and in military custody as a possible threat. Natasha and Pepper watched it all unfold through live coverage as they desperately tried to get someone there before Maria was lost to them forever.  


	5. Chapter 5

Maria awakens to find herself in a cell.

A high containment and isolation cell.

The scent of ammonia is strong and has Maria wishing they'd have used a different cleaner. As far as she knows, no one gets their abilities from a lemon fresh scent. She goes to push herself up but finds that to be a terrible idea. Her head spins and she lands on her back. It does nothing to help the already dizzy feeling she has or the accompanying nausea. Small hands move her hair back out of the way as she rolls back over and throws up the meager contents of her stomach.  

 _Amelia_.

Amelia Robbins had a gift for seeing patterns. She saw them in everything and how things were all connected. Her Mother had given her life to let her daughter escape capture and she had somehow found Maria. To protect her initially, they'd kept her off records and off the grid for the most part. She stayed with Jane and Darcy for a while, enthralled by the stars and their patterns and taking the time to study them. When SHIELD fell, Phil had wanted to use her abilities to try and track HYDRA cells. Maria had personally moved Amelia into Stark Tower and told Coulson in no uncertain terms that she'd put a bullet in his head if he came near her.  

Either one of them could have been the target of the attack, but Maria felt guilty for dragging the girl into her mess.  

"You have abilities now too" says Amelia. It's a statement more than a question. Maria raises an eyebrow at her.    
"One of the guards hit your head hard when you woke up before and it bleed a lot. It's already completely healed." 

Well that explained the ammonia, and it must have been one hell of a blow because Maria didn't remember waking at all.  

"Natasha's going to be mad isn't she?" says Amelia. It's posed as a question but there isn't any doubt. It does what it was supposed to though, and brings a smile to Maria's face.  

* * *

Natasha is loosing it. She's beyond furious that not only her girlfriend but also a young girl that she happened to have gotten attached to were taken in broad daylight. As the Director that Phil Coulson claimed to be, one would think he'd have guards that wouldn't scatter at the first sign of trouble looking after her. Amelia as well, even if all he sees her as is an asset.  

Sam, Sharon, and Steve were on the ground in Washington and Sharon had actually been there when it happened. Sharon was kicking herself, but there was no way she could have been prepared for a taser net, one of HYDRA's newest little inventions.  

Natasha didn't like that Sharon had been attacked. Not only because Sharon was the closest thing Maria had to family, but because Sharon had been shadowing Maria on her own. No one but Natasha, Pepper, Sam, and Steve knew that she'd been doing that and if any of the others had found out they'd know to keep it to themselves.  

Phil and his team were more focused on the HYDRA attack but since they no longer had Ward to use as a Ouija board, they were running blind just like everyone else. Natasha was going back through the courthouse footage and employee files. So far she couldn't find anything that was off. No one that couldn't be accounted for or wasn't part of the usual employee roster. Which meant HYDRA had someone inside or had found another way to know what witnesses were listed and when they would be showing up.  

Bruce was going back over everything they knew about Amelia with Tony. It was more than just her abilities. Amelia Robbins wasn't just an asset, she had a mind that could unravel any number of the world's puzzles but she also knew how to use it. They didn't know Amelia well enough to know whether her stubborn streak was all her or had rubbed off from Nat and Maria, but with her in either the military's or HYDRA's hands, it would only lead to trouble.  Clint was going over any grounds that could be used as a military holding area along with Pietro and Wanda.  

Pepper was doing her best to field off calls from politicians, military officials, and reporters who thought that it was some sort of organized stunt to get the heat off of Hill.  

Natasha was trying to remind herself of the fact that Amelia couldn't be in better hands when it came to who was looking out for her, and that Maria was capable of looking after herself. She was trying to avoid the lingering thoughts of how HYDRA had been there for a specific reason. Either they were after Amelia, which had been some what expected even if Phil hadn't seen it as a large concern, or they had somehow already found out about Maria's powers. At the moment it was something Natasha didn't trust herself to ask Phil and leave him alive.  

So she'd sent Wanda Maximoff.

Did she neglect to mention that Wanda was equally as mad since Phil was providing the same _stellar_ protection that he'd given to her and Pietro? Also, they might have a soft spot for Amelia too.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry! I haven't forgotten about this one!! But I do have a handful of stories going all at once and ideas piling up and I can't always keep up. I try though! This has been sitting in a folder for a couple of months so thank for the reminder!!

Maria had been SHIELD's Second in Command so she knew all interrogation techniques and was prepared for them. She wasn't letting them take Amelia. They had let Amelia stay with her and were now trying to take her to use as leverage. Given the type of cell they were in, she supposed there really wasn't a better place for her to figure out her new powers. The cement portion of the walls cracked and dented, but they were reinforced with steel and were as sturdy as they looked. There was a chance Maria could work her way through the steel as well, but she had worn herself out with the walls.

Amelia had stayed behind her, and per Maria's request, pulled at the back of her shirt to get her attention and make her take breaks. When Maria wasn't testing her new abilities, she was letting herself heal, but at all times she was keeping an eye on the door. What parts of her mind weren't puzzling as to their captor's motives or how to get out were consumed with rage. It was careless! There should have been precautionary measures in place. Maria knew that Phil had his hands full with HYDRA matters was kicking herself over the fact that it was something she should have seen to personally.

They were still served meals and afterwards Amelia curled into her side. Maria kept a protective arm around the girl, but the feel of someone pressing into her side also reminded her of Natasha. Maria tried to keep in mind what Sif had said about a reason to fight and returning to loved ones. She would fight to keep Amelia safe and to see Natasha again. She did her best to quell the laughter bubbling up in her chest. Amelia was right. Natasha was definitely going to be mad.

* * *

Natasha was mad, but more than that she was stressed out and running on too little sleep. Pepper had gotten her to eat a few times but only a few of the meals had stayed down. Natasha couldn't help the caged feeling she had but it didn't make any sense since she was on the roof of Stark Tower with Jane.

"You're feeling that way because your mate is literally caged. You are both connected to each other" explained Sif. Natasha found her calm tone grating and her information less than helpful.

"In any way that's helpful?" snapped Natasha. Sif didn't take offense.

"You can lend her your strength. Until we reach her, she is looking out for two souls" says Sif.

* * *

Wanda had gone and scared whatever alien presence was left out of Phil with her Witch's Hex as she demanded to know what progress they'd made and be kept apprised with future updates. Phil would also need a new door.

Wanda had been followed by Pietro and Clint to keep any serious damage from taking place. Wanda and Pietro are closer to Maria than they are with Coulson due mainly to the fact that Maria calls them for non mission issues as well. Like when she and Natasha were called to court and needed someone to watch Amelia. The two had initially balked at being given babysitting duty but had shown up because Maria had asked them to trust her.

Amelia quickly became one of their favorite people, and that was a hard list to get on. For starters, she wasn't scared of them, and that was saying something since she had met them in a containment cell disguised as an interview room. She had known what it was since she was led in through the agent door while Wanda and Pietro had been checked for weapons. All of which didn't count for much since Natasha was younger than Amelia was now when she started working for Red Room. If there was one thing Maria and Natasha had made sure to teach her, it was not to let herself be used. Phil had brought her in to verify their identities, but Amelia had countered that they had used all their resources to catch them, they had to be sure already, right? What possible impact would a fourteen year old would have on anything?

It was more than that though. It was that despite all her intelligence, she was wasn't blind to all the tricks would attempt on her. If she saw things she thought Wanda or Pietro should know, she'd slip them a message. Phil Coulson was no Nick Fury and having everything open with his team often meant there was more room for things to go wrong. Like things had at the courthouse.

Which was why when they got an idea of where Maria and Amelia were being held, they took everything and wiped the computers they'd used, leaving Phil and his team with no trail to follow.

* * *

Being imprisoned always involves some type of mental torment. Maria was learning that her emotions must have been heightened somehow when she'd healed or it was a side effect of now being connected to Natasha, but it was getting harder to contain herself. She was aware that her emotions were going haywire but it didn't help any when it came to the self loathing feeling she had at not having seen this coming and prepared for it better. At minimizing her rage at Phil for his incompetence and slow understanding of his new role. He supposedly trusted Melinda again, but hadn't used her at even a tenth of her ability. Her new role was to essentially act as Maria had to Nick, and with Bobbi, Lance, Trip, and Mac, an excellent team on their own and even better and faster when working with Skye, Jemma, and Leo, there was no reason for Phil and Melinda to remain in the field. There had to be someone acting as Command and it wasn't the Avengers. The Avengers were for larger battles or for attacks on their own. It wasn't as if Maria didn't know that Phil was close to his team. Maria had vetted Ward, yes, but Jemma and Leo had worked and reported to her. She was close to them too. It had been hard to release them out on Phil's team. Harder still not to snatch them back when Jemma jumped from the Bus and when Leo was brain damaged. Or when a hole was blown into their Bus on their second mission.

Amelia saw all this but as advanced as her mind was, knew very little about what had happened to Maria. It didn't take a genius to see that the Commander was struggling. She did her best to distract her by telling her stories, mostly of things she'd done with Natasha and had promised to keep quiet about. Like that time Natasha took her with her when they went to see Tony test out the repairs on Sam's Falcon gear. Including part where Sam gave her ride across the field. Yeah, had Maria known about that before she probably would have killed Natasha, but now it made her laugh and distracted her.

The door glowing red before being blasted outwards was quite distracting too though.


	7. Chapter 7

Maria had curled her body around Amelia's to protect her from the blast, but they were still thrown across the room. Amelia has her arms tightly around Maria's waist and feels it when Maria goes unconscious.  
She doesn't recognize any of the faces that enter the room but the masks would make that difficult anyway.  
No one says anything to reassure her and the hands that try to pull her away are rough. Maria comes to right before Amelia can't hold on anymore and her arms come around her gently but feel as strong as steel. That tells Amelia everything she needs to know.

These people are not SHIELD.

* * *

Clint, Pietro, and Wanda arrive just as HYDRA is making their escape.  Their vehicles no longer hold the SHIELD logo, it having been painted over, but thankfully still have bullet proofing.  While they take fire from both HYDRA and the military, Sharon, Steve, and Sam approach from the other side and try to ram the HYDRA vehicle.  At least that's what Steve's plan was until Sharon reminded him that Maria and Amelia were still inside.  

Wanda is doing her best to deflect incoming shots while Clint and Pietro trade places.  While Pietro could catch the vehicle it would do little use unless he could borrow Steve's strength to pry off the doors.  

* * *

Natasha has a new respect for Maria's job.  For some reason she thought Maria's old job of Second in Command and over seeing things was more or less a spectator sport.  Like a fan watching the Super Bowl at home and yelling at the screen.  Their yells don't do anything to aid their team, but let's them feel like they're interacting.  

Watching the rescue attempt from multiple views thanks to Tony's drone cameras and head piece in place, she stands much as Maria normally would and surveys the progress.  Clint is doing what he can with his arrows but as of late, SHIELD has been made out to be an equal villain as HYDRA and his presence draws fire.  

Tony arrives and uses local road construction to slow the military down and the road battle now consists of just SHIELD and HYDRA, the roads taken normally reserved for maintenance take them away from civilians.  

Natasha tries to think what Maria would be doing now but her mind is consumed with anxiety and worry.  It nearly makes her nauseous and clouds her thoughts.  She takes a deep breath and does her best to exude calm since she knows not all the anxiety is hers.  She remembers what Sif said and while she's still getting a hang of being there for people in a normal sense, she's very adept at controlling her emotions and can lend that strength to Maria when she needs it most.  

Maria.  She'd be tracking their progress.  Not their teams, HYDRAS.  They don't go out of their way for public safety, in fact they seem to enjoy the spectacle, so there must be a reason they're using the service and back roads.  She pulls up the location in another screen and zooms out, looking for large area such as a warehouse or mine that HYDRA might be using.  There's a mine but that's as far as she gets when power to the Tower goes out.  Which can't happen.  Not with the method Tony is using for green energy.  It's a two pronged attack, but why?  

That will have to wait for later.  She trusts the boys have the lower levels of the tower and she's powering up her arm bands and already has her guns ready as she races out to the roof to help Sif.  Time to work off some of that pent up energy.  

She runs out onto the rooftop and just barely manages to duck the pole of the deck umbrella.  Darcy is taking a swing at one thug who was at least twice her size and progressively moving him towards the edge.  Natasha makes a note to stay clear of her swing and Jane's area as well due to the arc of electricity coming from what looks like a homemade taser of her own making.  Sif is taking on three which leaves the remaining four to her.  Perfect.  

* * *

Maria feels the edges of panic begin to subside and breathing isn't as hard anymore.  These people are HYDRA.  She holds Amelia on her lap, no one having made a move to try and take her.  For good reason, but also one that disgusts her.  These people know better.  They once worked for her and know exactly what she was capable of even before her new abilities.  Sitting across from her is Mandy, a woman who reported to her for five years and always gave her bath gift baskets at Christmas.  She wears a sneer now but is smart enough to know to keep her mouth shut.  Or at least Maria hopes so because as mad as she is, she might kick the woman through the van's side.  Beneath her she can feel the speed of the vehicle and they have to be going at least sixty to seventy.  Kicking a hole in the side at that speed would send them flipping.  Maria hoped Mandy could hold off on being stupid until they slowed a bit.  She could still hear Clint's arrows not far behind them.  As for Mandy being stupid, it was inevitable, after all there was a reason her career never went anywhere despite all the bath soaps.  

 

 

 

 

 


	8. Chapter 8

Amelia already knows what had Maria so anxious.  The problem with being Maria Hill is that you would be known for your methods and strategies.  These people worked for her for years and know the sorts of things she comes up with, the way she moves from sparring sessions.  It poses a problem when trying to come up with something unexpected.  

"Sif.  Think Sif" whispers Amelia.  

"No talking!" barks Mandy as she stands up to do something.  The vehicle is slowing and Maria takes advantage of the moment.  Giving Mandy a kick that would make the Asgardian warrior proud, the woman flies back across the small space and hits the wall panel hard.  Maria holds Amelia close but there is no strategy or technique here, just sheer force.  For the moment.  The van proceeds to skid a ways before coming to a stop.  Maria and Amelia are thrown against their restraints but seconds later Amelia has them free.  It would seem Natasha has been teaching her about lock picking.  Scrambling out the back they run for the forest area.  

* * *

The fight certainly helped her work off the lingering anxiety but now Natasha is back at the computers trying to bring up everything she had earlier.  The mine is long abandoned and she's dispatched both Clint and the Maximoffs and Sharon with Sam and Steve.  Sif and Tony are patrolling the outer area while she remains at her post, running things like Maria normally would.  Seriously, she had to hand it to Maria.  This was just one operation, Maria normally had the details of no less than five in her head at any given time.  Since coming to Stark Industries her operations have simply switched to clean up and humanitarian aid projects.  Right now though, Natasha is focused on the job at hand.  Her biggest hope is that the Maximoff twins combined with Steve don't set off a sonic boom or explosion that causes the building to collapse.  She warns them of this through her headset.  Maria must be rubbing off on her, because that wouldn't have been something she would have considered a while ago.  

* * *

Maria would go off and take care of anyone who was stupid enough to follow, but Amelia won't let go.  

"No!  That's how my Mom died!  She told me to run and they shot her!"  The look of absolute panic in Amelia's eyes in addition to the tears streaming down her face gives Maria pause.  She knows her job but she also has to keep Amelia safe.  

"I'll stay.  But you get up in this tree" says Maria, lifting her up above as many branches as possible so that anyone tracking them won't immediately notice.  Amelia continues to climb higher as Maria turns to confront a few incoming figures.  

Maria manages to duck behind a rock and avoid the first few bullets that head her way.  

"There's no way out of this Commander!" yells Mandy.  Maria rolls her eyes.  Mandy always lacked imagination, it's what kept her in the same position for years.  The same was true here.  If your enemy knows that you're going to attack just like you were taught in field training, well then you were already dead.  

While Maria knew that these agents would be of more use taken in for interrogation, she knew they wouldn't hesitate to try and kill her.  She also didn't want to kill anyone in front of Amelia since it sounded like she'd seen enough death, but she would if she had to.  

Mandy approaches like one would during a training exercise and comes at her around a boulder slow enough to allow Maria to yank the gun from her grasp and ram her elbow into her face.  As Mandy stumbles back Maria proceeds to kick her into a tree where she falls unconscious.  At least she knows know that they don't work as a team all the time.  The second attacker she dispatches easily flipping him hard on to the ground, but when the third attacker spots Amelia, she takes him out with a shot through the back of his neck.  Sensing someone behind her, Maria spins and has firm grip on the attacker's throat when she slams them to the ground.  

"Nice to see you too, Hill.  Hi Amelia" says Tony with a wince.  

* * *

Natasha let's out a relieved sigh as she hears Tony's greeting.  A weight that she hadn't been aware of seems to fall from her shoulders.  Her relief is short lived however when there is an explosion from the mine.  As the teams check in, the situation became clear.  Sharon and the Maximoffs were still trapped inside with numerous HYDRA agents and whatever experiments they had cooked up.  

 

 

 


End file.
